Desserts & Sweet Treats

Doce Branco – Portuguese Soft Iced Biscuits

These traditional Portuguese biscuits bring back memories of my mother baking in her kitchen. I remembered how she used plenty of eggs and sugar, beating them with an electric mixer until the mixture became pale, thick and full of bubbles. She then gently folded the dry ingredients into the batter before baking the little cakes and covering them with white egg icing. For years, I could remember the method but not the name. The moment I saw Doce Branco, I knew these were the biscuits she used to make. Also known as Bolos de Gema or Cavacas, they are somewhere between a biscuit and a small sponge cake. They are soft and airy inside, with a delicate white icing that dries into a lightly crisp shell.